happening now, breaking news. breb is in brussels for an emergency nato summit on russia's war against ukraine. the alliance considering new ways to punish vladimir putin's brutality as the u.s. is formally declaring that russia has committed war crimes. also tonight, russia's war of destruction is taking a growing toll on ukrainian cities and on kremlin forces. nato nowest ma estimates 15,000 russian troops have been killed. our correspondents are standing by for cnn's live global war coverage. we're getting powerful new reaction to the death of the first woman to serve as the u.s. secretary of state, madeleine albright. former president bill clinton will join us this hour. we want to welcome our viewers

in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in brussels and you're in "the situation room." this is cnn breaking news. >> we're coming to you live from the eu headquarters in brussels, just hours before president biden jiens with u.s. allies for emergency critical talks on the war in ukraine. this hour we're getting reports from the front lines of a new barrage of outgoing fire in northwest kyiv, the ukrainian capital. cnn's sam kiley is standing by in kyiv for us. phil mattingly is here in brussels covering president biden. we'll go to them in just moments. first, cnn's alex marquardt has more on all the breaking news on this war. >> reporter: tonight president vladimir putin's war leading to staggering losses of his own

men. according to nato military officials, up to 15,000 russian soldiers have been killed in the four weeks since russia invaded ukraine. the shocking number coming as the battle for kyiv is raging. ukraine now claiming it is not just defending off the russian advance but pushing russian fosss back. in the suburb of irpin which has seen some of the fiercest fighting who said his own house was destroyed says 80% of the area has now been retaken and national police are going back to work there. in the town of mack receive west of kyiv, it says it has been fully retaken. this video was taken by the kyiv regional police. kyiv firefighters have had to work tirelessly to douse the flames from the russian strikes including on countless civilian homes. this man using his own garden hose. >> it was many, many bombs.

>> today the mayor of kyiv, vitali klitschko said 264 civilians from kyiv have been attacked. >> it is a bombing attack. it can be more. >> reporter: it is the southern city of mariupol that has come under the most brutal russian assault. drone video showing more than 2,000 people have been killed and president volodymyr zelenskyy says a quarter of the population is trapped. buildings destroyed, machinery on fine. it's the end the man filming says. the pentagon says mariupol has come under fire from russian ships off the coast. this video shows russian cruise missiles being fired from ships in the black sea toward ukraine. all the death and destruction in mariupol and beyond adding up to war crimes, the u.s. officially declaring on wednesday. >> we have all seen really horrific images and accounts from the extensive and unrelenting attacks on civilians

and civilian sites being conducted by russian forces in ukraine. >> reporter: in another blow to putin, a russian government insider for decades, is leaving his job according to russian state news agency, reuters reporting that he left russia and did not plan to return. this is the highest profile russian official to quit since the war began. alex marquardt, cnn at the state department. >> alex, thank you. now to president biden who is here in brussels at a pivotal moment for him and the nato alliance as they work to try to stand up to putin. senior white house correspondent phil mattingly is traveling with the president. phil, shortly before president biden touched down in brussels, the u.s. declared russian forces have committed war crimes in ukraine. give us the latest. >> reporter: wolf, it's the timing that just underscores the urgency of this moment, the high

stakes that president biden faces when he launches into three separate serious meetings with european officials over the course of the day tomorrow. in that formal declaration, secretary of state antony blinken said, quote, today i can announce based on information currently available the u.s. government assesses that members of russia's force haves committed war crimes in ukraine. both president biden and secretary blinken said over the course of the last week that they believed ukraine had committed war crimes, but this official and formal announcement came on public information and intelligence assessments and underscores that very real concern which is only growing out of concern of escalations. in this case the use of chemical weapons, something u.s. officials have raised alarm about over the course of the last several days. and president biden told our colleague this morning before leaving for brussels, it was a very real threat. >> how concerned you about

russia using chemical weapons? how high is that threat? >> i think it's a real threat. >> reporter: that's not just the u.s. perspective. nato secretary stoltenberg also talked about the threat of chemical weapons use earlier today and will be a subject of discussion during the meetings, the nato meeting tomorrow. it will be part of a wide ranging effort to both address what has escalated over the course of the last four weeks in ukraine, but also trying to ensure that there are new efforts to ramp up the pressure on president vladimir putin from the alliance that has come together and stuck together over the course of this month-long military action, and it will attempt to impose even more costs over the course of the next day or two. it's the goal of the u.s. officials. they understand this is a long process of war that doesn't show any signs of abating any time soon. >> phil mattingly in brussels reporting for us. also tonight, a senior u.s.

defense official says ukrainian forces pushed russian forces back to the keeft of kyiv. our senior international correspondent sam kiley is in the ukrainian capital. tell us more about the battle for kyiv that's under way right now. >> reporter: wolf, in the last 48 or longer hours, the last three days effectively, there's been very heavy fighting indeed in the north, northwest of the capital and in the absolute west, due west. there's been a lot of heavy use of multiple rocket launching systems. one went off -- very loud reports of multiple use of these artillery, almost certainly outgoing from the ukrainians toward the city or in the environment of irpin. irpin has fallen to the government forces, rather retaken as part of this

counteroffensive that they launched more than a week ago. there have been two 36-hour curfews to get people off the streets in the capital city to make room for the military maneuvers. as far as the ukrainians are concerned are going their way. they also say in the east of the city, and when i arrived here more than two weeks ago, the concern was there was going to be a push in from that direction by the russians. the ukrainians are saying they pushed the russians back to as many as 70 kilometers outside the city. we've got no independent verification for that. we have images of ferocious fighting coming from the east of the city, very, very intense fighting conducted there by a muslim militia group that's part of the ukrainian armed forces. wolf. >> sam kiley in kyiv. stay safe over there. we will be in touch. just ahead, much more on russia's war against ukraine and how nato forces are beefing up

troops to defend the nato alliance. we'll also look back on madeleine albright's legacy with former president bill clinton who chose her to become the first woman to serve as the u.s. secretary of state. former president clinton standing by to join us. that's next. we're live in brussels, and you're in "the situation room." his fufuture became my focus. lavender baths always calmed him. so we turned bath time into a busininess. ♪ and building it with my son has been my dream job. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com

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diplomat. she was 84 years old. joining us on the phone right now, the former president of the united states bill clinton. mr. president, thank you so much for joining us. very sad news about madeleine albright, a woman you and i knew well. you, of course, named madeleine albright first as ambassador of the united nations during your first term, then nominated her to become the first woman to serve as secretary of state during your second term. how are you remembering her and her incredible legacy tonight. >> well, i was going back over my life with her starting with when we met in 1988, and i liked her the minute i met her. she was so smart, so well-informed and leveled headed. by the time we started talking when i was running for president, that we had both an opportunity and an obligation after the fall of the berlin

wall to try to finally build a europe that was free, peaceful and democratic for the first time since nation states rose on the continent. she worked for it every day and believed in it, and she did a hell of a job at the u.n. and later at the state department. >> she certainly did. you say few leaders have been so perfectly suited for the times in which they served. that's a direct quote. how did her life experience prepare her to take on some of the biggest crises facing the united states and the world? >> first of all, she knew how to live under a cloud of uncertainty. her family had to flee czechoslovakia twice, once because of the nazis and once because of stalin. she didn't like either option

because she knew that the czechs wanted to be free to chart their own course in life. it left an indelible impression on her. they finally came to the united states, her dad was a professor at the university of colorado. madeline wound up teaching at my old alma mater georgetown where i think on at least two occasions she was voted by the students as the most outstanding faculty member. but she was far more than an academic, partly because of the agonizing personal experiences she had been through as a child, and she understood clearly that the people caught in the middle between germany and russia didn't want to trade hitler in for stalin, that they wanted to be free to chart their own course. she pursued policies that were consistent with that, not only

in central europe but also where we were trying to bring stability and opportunity to people in latin america and in asia. she didn't like authoritarian dictatorships, she didn't like arbitrary violence. >> secretary albright met your wife hillary clinton through her work for the children's defense fund. and said secretary clinton wanted to give a voice to those who can't speak for themselves. it's interesting. it's two women who both served as u.s. secretary of state. how unique was their relationship? >> they were always till the end of madeline's life, close friends, almost soulmates. they agreed on not everything but almost everything, and they

worked together closely. they tried to support each other, and she was a really brave and steadfast supporter of hillary's when she ran for president both times. but they also did a lot of things in the world together. when hillary was involved in the irish peace process by getting prot stapt and catholic women together and working for peace, madeline was supporting that. when madeline was involved in democratic initiatives around the world after she left the state department, hillary was supporting her. they had a wonderful relationship. >> they certainly did. i understand the two of you actually spoke, you and madeleine albright, recently and actually discussed the issue of ukraine, this horrible war that's going on. can you share with us what that conversation that you had with madeleine albright was like? >> first of all, i knew that she

had some health challenges, but i talked to her two weeks ago and she was in strong voice and her mind was sharp as a tack, and she was not about to focus on how long she had to live or didn't have to live because she knew she was getting good care and she couldn't do anything about that. she spent the entire conversation talking about how ukraine had to be defended and that we had put the lot of those and made a mistake that nato, saying we're not going after nato yet. ukrainians proved they didn't want to be part of russia, and the idea that putin was trying to sell the argument that a country with a jewish president was actually a nazi country was patently absurd. she just wanted to support

whatever we could do to back ukraine. that's all she wanted to talk about. she was happy. she was upbeat and she didn't want to venture in to her health challenges. she said i'm being treated. i'm doing the best i can. the main thing we can all do now is to think about the world we want to leave for our kids. >> i know that madeleine albright once attended a naturalization ceremony and remarked -- this quote always stuck out with me when she said, and i'm quoting her now, only in america could a refugee from central europe become secretary of state. mr. president, how does that resonate with you as europe is now facing the greatest refugee crisis since world war ii? >> well, i feel the same way madeleine does. i think we owe it to the

ukrainians to support them. the biggest ukrainian diaspora are in the united states and canada and they have done very well here. i went -- a couple weeks ago i was down playing golf with my friend governor mcauliffe in florida. when we came up to the course, the person that greeted me when i got out was wayne gretzky, maybe the greatest hockey player in history, a ukrainian canadian. i think we all need to help them. if their country prevails, and in the end i think they will if we hang tough and give them the support they need, then they'll want to go home. if it doesn't work out, we'll be enriched by having them in the united states and wherever else they choose to go. they're incredibly gifted people. as we see, they're very strong willed and resolute.

>> they are indeed. i know many of them myself, and it's a horrible situation going on right now. mr. president thanks so much for joining us and spending a few moments to talk about madeleine albright, a wonderful woman and great american. thanks once again for joining us. >> thanks. she was a national treasure. thanks forgiving me a chance to say it. >> thank you. we'll continue these conversations hopefully down the road. coming up, we're going to break down the very chilling message from vladimir putin's chief spokesman who -- get this -- actually refused to rule out using russia's nuclear weapons in ukraine. much more of our live coverage from here in brussels right after a quick break. ♪ there's heather on the hedges ♪ ♪ a and kenny on the koi ♪ ♪ and your truck's been demolished by the peterson boy ♪ ♪ yes -- ♪ wait, what was that?

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we're back with our live coverage from brussels where president biden is preparing for emergency talks with key u.s. allies about russia's war against ukraine. nato nations have even more reason to be worried about vladimir putin's intentions. the chief spokesman for the kremlin leader refusing to rule out the use of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons in ukraine during an exclusive interview with cnn christiane amanpour. >> could i quickly ask you, though, i need to ask you this because the world is afraid. i want to know whether putin intends the world to be afraid of the nuclear option. would he use it? >> president putin intends to -- intends to make the world listen

and understand our concerns. we've been trying to convey our concerns to the world, to europe, to the united states for a couple of decades, but no one would listen to us. and before it is too late, it was a decision to launch a special military operations to get free and entire russia that was created next to our border. >> what? to get rid of russia. >> enter russia. ukraine started to be, it was formed by the western countries, anti russia. >> look, ukraine is a country, sovereign. it's recognized by the united nations. it's been around for a very long time. i want to know -- i want to ask you again is president putin -- the finnish president said to me that when he asked putin directly about this -- because

president putin has laid that card on the table. president putin said if anybody tries to stop him, very bad things will happen. i want to know whether you're convinced or confident that your boss will not use that option. >> well, we have a concept of domestic security. it's public. you can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used. so if it is an existent threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept. there are no other reasons that were mentioned in that text. >> so you're basically saying only an existential threat to your country. i still don't know whether i've got a full answer from you. i'm just going to assume that president putin wants to scare the world and keep the world on

tenterhooks. joining us now, our chief international anchor christiane amanpour, also here in brussels getting ready to cover this huge summit tomorrow. christiane, how sobering was it to hear this right-hand man for putin basically talk about the possibility of using nuclear weapons as a result of this war? >> it's really difficult to internalize that. that is really the outer limit that has never, ever been breached. the whole idea of nuclear weapons was the deterrent nature, the mutually assured destruction. in the years since these weapons became much smaller, like tactical nukes, which are less powerful, for instance, than the hero shima bombs, people are able to talk about it with a level that is somehow less shocking than it might have been in yesteryear. president putin started this by

putting the option on the table when he said several times that if anybody deterred or tempted to interfere with his operation in ukraine, the worst consequences you can imagine in history can happen. remember he said that. then he said he put his deterrent forces on combat alert. and then when i asked peskov whether he could rule out that his boss would order such a strike, he essentially didn't rule it out. although he said only if it was an existential threat to russia would that be used or contemplated. clearly nato, the united states, others, have to factor this in as well, and they are doing so. it clearly plays a huge part in why they do not want to go in a more aggressive, more present military formation, whether troops on the ground, in the air, aircraft. they don't want to do that in ukraine because of this fear. >> as you know, christiane, the

u.s. state department publicly declared russian troops in ukraine are engaged in war crimes against ukrainian civilians, and they're extensive and went through all sorts of examples of that. how do you think putin is going to react to this? we earlier heard the president, the secretary of state and other u.s. officials suggest that, but now it's official. >> it is official and it is yet another layer by the only superpower of this condemnation and of this attempt to build eventually a legal case. some say that it could shove putin's back further against a wall and that he has no way to come down and nowhere to go but eventually to the hague. of course, these are allegations we have to say right now, despite what we're seeing, despite the video, despite the reports of what we hear from the victims and the civilians inside ukraine. these are still under law allegations. they still have to be prosecuted

and adjudicated and formal charges still have to be leveleding and these things take time. as you know, more than a week ago, the international criminal court, the chief prosecutor there started investigations in this regard because he had been asked to do so by 39 members of the united nations. so that process is already starting. i cast my mind all the way back some 25 years or so. this is what happened in the balkans when milosevich who was the balkan strong man who, as you remember, tried to lay waste to bosnia, genocide, ethnic cleansing and tried to do the same in kosovo, he was indicted on charges of crimes against humanity and others. eventually it did lead to his downfall. his people eventually went into the streets, there were protests. there was final a democratic election. he lost and thereafter he was arrested and taken to the hague.

you saw that happen to the leaders of the bosnian/serb military as well. these investigations do happen. it remains to be seen clearly in this case what will be the end. clearly it remains to be seen how one can do that because the icc does not have any arrest or deterrence power. we wait to see how this war plays out. >> christiane amanpour helping us better understand what's going on, the history about to unfold tomorrow in brussels as well. christiane, thanks very much. >> reporter: thanks, wolf. just ahead, cnn talks with an emergency medic who regularly drives his ambulance from relative safe -- from relative safety in poland over the border into war-ravaged ukrainene.

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we're back with our live coverage from brussels where president biden is now on the ground preparing for some very high-stakes talks with u.s. allies about russia's war against ukraine. he's also planning to visit poland where millions of ukrainian refugees have sought safe haven including many who are sick or wounded. cnn's ed lavandera shows us how some ailing refugees are getting out of ukraine alive. >> reporter: the air raid sirens no longer startle them. >> the sirens tell us it's of no danger anymore. >> reporter: he'ses the nerves of a mother and two children he just picked up at the train station. tonight he will drive them to poland. deitrich struggles to explain how a 27-year-old from norway has found himself driving an ambulance through the streets of

lviv. >> that's the most difficult question actually. >> reporter: he's part of a volunteer team evacuating critically ill hospital patients and refugees from ukraine. >> i just wanted to help do something, not sit and home and just look at everything on the tv. >> reporter: most days deitrich drives into lviv from poland with an ambulance full of medical supplies and distributes the loads to hospitals facing grave shortages. the medical director of the st. nicolas hospital in lviv says since the start of the war her hospital has been overwhelmed treating every day seriously ill patients. >> he brings us some medicine, some equipment which we need so much. that's why we are thankful for him and his team. it's really a dream team. >> reporter: hospitals are struggling to hand ul all the

patients needing critical lifesaving care. that's where deitrich's team comes in. >> we have just delivered a lot of equipment to that hospital and to another hospital. we went to the train station and picked up a few refugees as well. >> reporter: he's lost count of how many patients and refugees he's driven out of ukraine. >> i have helped a lot of kids, women and children who needs to go out of the country, and in the places we are getting the people, they don't have anyone else. for right now they only have us. >> reporter: he and his team of paramedics and nurses spent almost three weeks crisscrossing the city, answering any call for help that comes in. >> how stressful is it to drive around ukraine right now? >> oh, my god. it's horrific. it's not possible to explain. >> reporter: this area of western ukraine has seen just a u few russian air strikes since the war started nearly a month ago, but russian forces have

targeted hospitals and civilians in eastern ukraine. diedrick knows he's driving into potential targets. it's a risk he's willing to take. >> is doing this worth dying for for you? >> yeah, it is. >> why? >> because it's so meaningful what i'm doing. when i see these crying children who are really sick and needs to get out, i feel a responsibility. >> reporter: for deitrich, it feels like the road to saving ukrainians goes on forever. ed lavandera, cnn, poland. >> ed lavandera, thank you very, very much. an important note for our viewers, for information how you can help humanitarian efforts in ukraine go to cnn come/impact and help impact your world. coming up, the u.s. gets access to american basketball

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here in brussels president biden is just hours away from his first round of talks with nato allies about russia's war in ukraine. we're also following a long-awaited update on american wnba player brittney griner detained in russia since mid february. cnn's brian todd has new information. what are you learning?

>> reporter: state department officials will only say brittney griner is in, quote, good condition, but they're offering virtually no other details. tonight analysts are worrying about her longer-term prospects in russian custody. for the first time since her arrest andism prisonment in russia in mid february, american basketball star brittney griner has been able to meet with a u.s. official. the state department's top spokesman today telling reporters an official from the u.s. embassy in moscow was granted access to greiner. >> she's doing as well as can be expected under these very difficult circumstances. we'll continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network to see to it that she is treated fairly and that her rights are respected. >> reporter: u.s. officials are not saying where greiner is being held or providing specific details on the conditions she faces in russian custody. >> the actual physical conditions of life in a russian prison, it's pretty horrific. it's even more horrific if you

are an american these days, as you can imagine. >> reporter: the only inkling we've had about greiner's conditions in jail came last week when russia's state-run news agency cited a russian prisoner advocate saying greiner was sharing a cell with two other women and at 6'9" her bed was too short for her. they're worried the timing of the incarcerations of greiner along with fellow americans paul wheel land and trevor reed couldn't be worse. >> risks are exponentially higher, exponentially higher that something might happen to them while in the hands of their captors. >> greener has been accused of smuggling significant amounts of narcotics substances after finding cannabis oil. one factor working against her, her status as a famous athlete given the doping scandal at the

winter olympics. >> the international uproar and outcry over the russian government's handling of those situations with regard to their own olympians makes it even worse that greiner was a former olivian asked for access to americans paul wheeland and trevor reed but it hasn't happened. they were arrested and convicted before the war for crimes they have denied. wolf. >> brian todd reporting. thank you very much. tonight, nato, nato is preparing to double the number of troops as the eastern alliance keeps a very watchful eye on russian invasion forces in ukraine. let's discuss with retired colonel cedrick layton. thank you so much for joining us. show us where these additional battle groups will be deployed

and tell us why they're so key potentially to deterring further russian aggression. >> absolutely, wolf. where they'll be the here in slovakia, hungary, romania and bulgaria. these are the crowountries thate bordering or close to ukraine and moldova. the idea behind this is to show the russians that we are going to be protecting not only the eastern flank of nato, but the southeastern flank as well. so all of this area in the balkans and all this area that borders western and southern ukraine. that's going to be important part for these battle groups and hopefully send a message to the russians that they can't overstep this area. >> the ukrainians have launched counteroffensives at reclaiming territory lost to the russians. show us where ukrainian forces could actually push the russian army back. >> wolf, two areas.

mainly here. we have this town about 30 kilometers west of kyiv then this area in the northeast of kyiv. a lot of what where he see here as red indicating russian presence in this area. a lot of that is no longer red or close to no longer being red. what has happened is the ukrainians have pushed forces back in this direction in the west and in this direction to the northeast and what that means is that these forces are moving forward. they basically pushed the russian forces back about 30 kilometers or so beyond their original positions so it's a major change. >> certainly is. colonel, thank you very, very much. just ahead, we're following another day of sharp questioning for u.s. supreme court nominee, judge ketanji brown jackson. stay with us. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performancn. more b brain performance?

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turning to capitol hill and judge ketanji brown jackson's supreme court confirmation hearing, jessica schneider has the latest on another contentious day of questioning. >> as the questioning of supreme court nominee ketanji brown jackson winds down, republicans seem to be ramping up their criticisms of her judicial record. her sentencing decisions in child pornography cases continued to be a flash point. lindsey graham accusing her of giving offenders supervision instead of jail time. >> you think it is a bigger deterrent to take somebody who's on a computer looking at sexual images of children in the most disgusting way is to supervise

their computer habits versus putting them in jail? >> no, senator, i didn't say versus. >> that's exactly what you said. >> congress has directed courts to consider various means of achieving deterrence. one of them, as you said, is incarceration. another, as i tried to mention, was substantial periods of supervision once the person -- >> so if i could -- >> jackson tried to cut off the questioning when pressed again by ted cruz. >> you sentenced them to 28 months. why? >> senator, i've said what i was going to say about these cases. no one case can stand in for a judge's entire record. >> but i'm discussing every one of the cases so if you're not going to explain it -- >> senator, would you please let her respond? >> no, not if she's not going to answer -- >> a review said she mostly followed sentencing practices in the handful of child porn cases

she's handled and a group of retired judges including two republicans, sent a letter to the committee saying her record on sentencing is entirely consistent with decisions from judges around the country, but republicans have not found that reasoning satisfactory, continuing to press their belief that jackson is quote, soft on crime. >> there's at least a level of empathy that enters into your treatment of a defendant that some could view as a maybe beyond what some of us would be comfortable with with respect to administering justice. >> she shot back that she sentences in a way that is tough. >> it was shocking to me, don't worry, my sister. don't worry. god has got you. and how do i know that? because you're here.

>> and this could ultimately come down to one of the closest confirmation votes in history. of course democrats do have just enough votes on their own to make it happen. wolf. >> thank you very much, jessica. i'll be back tomorrow here in brussels for another special situation room. we'll be live beginning at 5:00 p.m. eastern. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. next, breaking news, united states says ukrainian forces have pushed russia back to the capital. kyiv regaining crucial ground as nato estimates up to 15,000 russian troops are dead. the governor in ukraine calls on r residents to help collect russian corpses that are piling up. and inside a rare face-to-face meeting between the u.s. and russia. saying he was depressed over what's happening in ukraine, but wait until you hea